§4103 — Title 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters | U.S. Code

Summary

NOAA must regularly check unmanned ships and underwater vehicles that are for sale or otherwise available to see if they can help NOAA’s work. The Administrator will do these checks through the research lead and the marine and aviation operations lead (and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps). The research lead looks at whether systems can meet NOAA’s data needs and costs. The Director checks if they are reliable and can make required observations. The research lead and the Director must work together. They must meet with the Unmanned Maritime Systems Ocean Technology Coordinating Committee and talk with other NOAA offices, universities, and the makers of these systems while doing the checks.

Title 33, §4103

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator, acting through the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Assistant Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for Marine and Aviation Operations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, shall regularly assess publicly and commercially available unmanned maritime systems for potential use to support missions of the Administration.

(b)The Administrator shall carry out subsection (a) through the Assistant Administrator for all matters relating to assessment of the suitability, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of unmanned maritime systems to meet data specifications required by programs of the Administration.

(c)The Administrator shall carry out subsection (a) through the Director for all matters relating to assessment of whether unmanned maritime systems are operationally reliable, feasible, and cost effective enough to make observations required by programs of the Administration.

(d)The Assistant Administrator and the Director shall jointly—

(1)convene and consult the Unmanned Maritime Systems Ocean Technology Coordinating Committee established under section 4102(b) of this title; and

(2)consult with the heads of other offices of the Administration, the academic sector, and developers and manufacturers of unmanned maritime systems to conduct the assessments under subsection (a).

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “Assistant Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for” for “Director of the Office of”.

§4103 Regular Assessment of Unmanned Maritime Systems to Support National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Missions

Summary

Title 33, §4103

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata